U2 bass player Adam Clayton has opened up about his struggles with mental health and melancholia, saying he used to suffer from "low level depression".
The musician, who has been sober for 25 years, is a longtime advocate for mental health and is an ambassador for The Elephant in the Room art project, which aims to raise awareness of the issue.
The brainchild of Brent Pope, the project is a national effort to get people talking about an often difficult subject and it sees 24 artists sculpt white baby elephants of four feet in height and length which will be put on public display around the country and then auctioned off in support of The Samaritans.
Adam has teamed up with artist Debbie Chapman to work on their contribution, All At Sea.
Speaking to the Ray D'Arcy Show on RTÉ Radio One from London, where he was caught up in the ongoing air traffic disruption, Adam said, "I’ve known Brent since we did Walk in My Shoes when we were raising awareness of mental health for St Patrick’s hospital.
"I really like the idea of the combination of artists and sponsors in The Elephant in the Room project, and I picked Debbie because I liked her work.
"We talked about how we would approach our elephant and what were the big issues of the day, and we were looking at the refugee crisis and how climate change was contributing to that.
"So, we’ve made our elephant reflect that and how the world is having to change and adapt and how we need each other to get thought this and in some ways that is a metaphor for mental health issues. So hopefully the elephant will speak for those of us who don’t speak up too often."
Speaking about his own struggles with mental health, Adam said, "There were a lot of good years in my life, but the secret was that I was incredibly unhappy and unable to deal with it and accept it.
"I thought alcohol was the way forward and that it would solve all my problems but in the end, of course, it didn’t so I eventually went into treatment and turned things around.
"At the time, not many musicians were talking about that. Eric Clapton was very public about his recovery, and he was a support to me and was an example.
"Many people have crashed and burned thought alcohol or other addictions and it plays into mental health issues. For me it always came from a melancholy and a low-level depression, and I know people suffer from very extreme forms of depression where they can’t get out of bed."
Adam said he was never that bad, but he often struggled to keep motivated.
"I would have days where it was very hard to do anything. If I was working I could make myself do things and I could get over it but if I wasn’t working it was hard to get motivated. For me I had to find good coping mechanisms. Everyone has to find their own way but seeking help is the first step."
U2 play their first gigs in front of an audience in four years when they undertake a 25-night residency in Las Vegas with U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere.
The band’s drummer Larry Mullen will not be playing the Vegas shows as he continues to recover from back surgery and Bram van den Berg of Dutch band Krezip will be behind the kit.
"The whole band and the audience are going to be very sad and miss Larry," Adam said. "But I think he’s doing what Larry does and that’s taking his health very responsibly and he wants to come back, he wants to be able to have a long career and continue his drumming so he’s taking care of those injuries.
"He's very much behind the idea of us going on stage with Bram. I’m sure for Larry it’s a difficult moment to know that your band are going on stage and you’re not with them but sometimes life deals these things and there was a time a few years ago when Bono couldn’t perform with us, so Bruce Springsteen stepped in which was quite a strange one and Chris Martin did a turn as well.
Adam added, "It does happen in the life of bands and there was certainly a concert I missed a long time ago as well.
"Larry realises that he has to get his health back together again, but Bram has bravely taken the seat and he’s really put in the hours learning the tunes and I think it’s going to be a pretty fearsome band hitting the stage in las Vegas."
You can find full details of the Elephant in the Room Art Project here.
The Ray D’Arcy Show is on RTÉ Radio 1 Monday to Friday
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please see RTÉ’s list of helplines.
